Valentines Day

This was a different Valentine's Day for our family.  In past years we've played at a park because it is typically a nice warm day.  This year was a bit different and we even had to move our day around because we were getting yet more inches of snow later in the day and we didn't want to get caught out in the snowy ohio weather.  Here are a few pics from our fun little day.  We really celebrate most holidays with sweets, more sweets and gifts for the kids and Valentines Day is no difference for us! First stop: Dunkin!

Gifts for sweet valentines: picture frame for him and thomas the train for her!

Of course, sweet frog for dessert!

xoxo, Melissa

balentines crafts

It has been really really cold here in Ohio, for a really, really long time.

So we as parents have had to be a bit creative.  A bit of that creativity has lead to a strong creative bug in Charlotte. One of her new favorite words is "deco-ate" and she wants to decorate everything! With Valentines Day coming up I knew that we had hit a "deco-ading" goldmine!  So we have been busy working on simple pillows, even more simple wreaths for the front door and fun valentines for friends and teachers!

Charlotte picked out little valentines monsters from the craft store to make for two of her favorite girls and then let out an actual squeal when she discovered sparkle puff paint. I honestly wish I had it on camera when she gave it the first squeeze...who knew all a two year old really needs is sparkle puff paint to get through our first long winter in Ohio!

Charlotte spent so much time at the table "deco-ating" that her brother was feeling pretty neglected and let it show with a little melt down, look at that poor boy!

Mommy of course had to get into the valentine action and so of course I quickly scanned pinterest and found some cute ideas. This is what I have for some of our favs this valentines day. I made a couple and of course paired them with a much needed starbucks gift card inside. I think we have all needed at least one starbucks hit a week to get through this chilly chilly winter! Found the idea on pinterest, printed the words on a piece of brown card stock, quickly sketched the cute coffee mug and of course added some sparkle puff paint!

Well, we hope you are staying warm this winter and you and your family is getting into the valentines day spirit.  In the words of Charlotte, Happy Balentines Day!

a hug quilt

Sometimes you are really far away from those you want to love on and give a huge hug.  Although I can not be with you dear friend, I hope this hug quilt is a comfort to you.

I hope you squeeze it while getting good news on the phone...

and I hope you hide under it when days seem a little tough.

I hope you feel the embroidery and remember that you are loved...

and I hope you know that you were thought about with every cut and stitch.

And I hope it serves as a hug anytime you need one!

And I hope the above picture makes you laugh.  Charlotte is wearing valentines pj pants with a halloween shirt with socks on her hands because it was beginning to snow and her hair is a hot mess.  She loves you too!

xoxo, the hess family

a simple christmas morning, presents and of course...a quilt

We have been pretty deliberate over the past couple of years to do Christmas in a simplified fashion since we have had Charlotte and especially now with Charlotte and Oliver. We know that nothing can damper the spirit of Christmas like shopping with a toddler in tow (realistically O is a such an easy baby, let's be honest, C is the tough one...sorry Charlotte when you read this in a couple of years.)

I always love to make Christmas gifts and would deem every Christmas gift a homemade one if Jay would allow me.  This year my homemade creation was a quilt.  Back in July we threw Jay's dad a birthday party and when I throw a party that means that some fabric purchases are required.  I had to buy some fabrics for table runners and a good deal of one fabric for the photo booth.  While we were standing in line at the fabric store and Jay was questioning the amount of fabric I needed I came up with the genius realization that I would use all the fabric I purchased to make the birthday boy a quilt for Christmas.

Well, our move in date came and went to get into the house and soon the whole month of October had disappeared and I still had not started a Birthday-Christmas quilt, can we call it a Birthmas Quilt?

I know that I wanted to use my simple go-to pattern of a nine patch and do some variations to the pattern.  So as the kids played one Saturday in the playroom I created and sketched and sewed.  The kids had a great time together (the playroom was trashed!) and I had such a lovely day sewing and still being with the kids.  I started with a simple nine patch block and then went with two borders, followed with some more nine patch blocks and some corner pieces and then a topper of nine patch blocks and some trim bordering pieces on the sides and bottom.  It all went together so smoothly and it was almost relaxing just designing as I went and watching the quilt grow.  This is what I ended up with!

Of course, I had to add his initials...

and some simple embroidery...

The back of the quilt was made almost entirely of the fabric from the photo booth with a penny strip down the middle.

Grandpa received his quilt on Christmas Eve and quickly put it to good use cuddling with his granddaughters!

Both kids have been sleeping in to around 6:30 to 7:00 each morning lately so we thankfully did not have a Christmas morning that started too early.  Both kids woke up around the same time and enjoyed a good look at their bounty before they started!

For three straight Christmases in a row C has had no interest in unwrapping her presents and has to be coaxed to unwrap just about anything...where did this kid come from?

Oliver was a little easier to get to open his presents, he will do anything to cuddle with his da da da!  Jay made this present for Oliver, it is much like the puzzle we made for C for her first Christmas.  He has already chewed up corners and decided it is a great drum!

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas. We really enjoyed our first Christmas holiday with no traveling, packing up presents and waking up in our own house!  A simple type of Christmas is the right type of holiday for us!